disgrace
Americannoun
-
the loss of respect, honor, or esteem; ignominy; shame.
the disgrace of criminals.
- Synonyms:
- taint, notoriety, disapprobation, disapproval
- Antonyms:
- honor
-
a person, act, or thing that causes shame, reproach, or dishonor or is dishonorable or shameful.
-
the state of being out of favor; exclusion from favor, confidence, or trust.
courtiers and ministers in disgrace.
verb (used with object)
-
disgraces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disgraced,
past participle, past
-
disgracing
present participle
noun
-
a condition of shame, loss of reputation, or dishonour
-
a shameful person, thing, or state of affairs
-
exclusion from confidence or trust
he is in disgrace with his father
verb
-
to bring shame upon; be a discredit to
-
to treat or cause to be treated with disfavour
Synonym Usage
Disgrace, dishonor, ignominy, infamy imply a very low position in the opinion of others. Disgrace implies the disfavor of others: to be in disgrace. Dishonor implies a stain on honor or honorable reputation; it relates especially to the person's own conduct: He preferred death to dishonor. Ignominy is disgrace in which one's situation invites contempt: the ignominy of being discovered cheating. Infamy is shameful notoriety, or baseness of action or character that is widely known and recognized: The children never outlived the father's infamy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disgracernoun
-
predisgracenoun
-
self-disgracenoun
-
quasi-disgracedadjective
-
self-disgracedadjective
-
self-disgracingadjective
-
undisgracedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disgracesimple
-
disgracessimple
-
have disgracedperfect
-
has disgracedperfect
-
am disgracingprogressive
-
are disgracingprogressive
-
is disgracingprogressive
-
have been disgracingperfect progressive
-
has been disgracingperfect progressive
Past
-
disgracedsimple
-
had disgracedperfect
-
was disgracingprogressive
-
were disgracingprogressive
-
had been disgracingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disgrace
1540–50; (noun) < Middle French < Italian disgrazia, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + grazia < Latin gratia ( see grace); (v.) < Middle French disgracier < Italian disgraziare, derivative of disgrazia
Explanation
Use the verb disgrace to say that someone has brought shame upon himself. Your brother might disgrace himself at the family reunion by being rude to your Uncle Bob. You probably notice that grace makes up a big part of disgrace. Combine this with the dis- prefix, meaning “the opposite of,” and you get a word that involves shame and dishonor. Think of disgrace as a kind of fall from grace — it’s what happens when you do something that causes you to lose favor or damages your reputation. You could disgrace yourself by losing your tennis match badly, or you could disgrace yourself by cheating on an exam.
Vocabulary lists containing disgrace
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Excerpts from "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet"
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Graham believes their activities will ruin the program and disgrace the memory of its founders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Dyer said that the quality of the water was "a disgrace".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
As a consequence, Lyalin was ordered to return to Moscow in disgrace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
"It's a disgrace and we find as parents we are constantly facing brick walls when it comes to issues around special educational needs."
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
The king married his beautiful daughter to him, and the other suitors were sent home in disgrace.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
The half-hour series stars Glen Powell as Russ Holliday, a former star college quarterback for a big-name team who disgraces himself during the Rose Bowl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Officers aren’t allowed to conduct themselves in a way that personally disgraces them or dishonors the military profession, according to military law cited by the newspaper.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
The Monday column by Dylan Hernández, ostensibly about Kershaw making the All-Star team, disgraces the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2022
What’s disappointing is the degree to which its exercise of muscle exposes and disgraces others.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2021
“We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,” he said.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
The disgraced music and alcohol mogul has been hospitalized after suffering a head injury, The Times has learned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The private life of disgraced Silicon Valley startup founder Elizabeth Holmes will soon be aired to the public in a startling new documentary filmed in the 34 days before she went to prison.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Year: 2023 Compiled by: Nitish Pahwa Of note: The disgraced ex-mayor is still holding various objects aloft.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
The disgraced breast surgeon worked with cancer patients at NHS and private hospitals in the West Midlands over 14 years.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Camel limps weakly behind, popping his head around one side, and then falling back and running along the other like a disgraced puppy.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
“I have learned hard lessons from this experience, including disgracing my family and destroying my career and reputation,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2025
Jurors accepted prosecutors' argument that Webster had "spearheaded" an attack on police lines and that he was responsible for "disgracing a democracy that he once fought honourably to protect and serve".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2022
"The disgracing of a dead body and setting it on fire are strictly forbidden in Islam," the court ruled.
From Reuters ● Apr. 19, 2022
“You are disgracing this city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country,” she added.
From Fox News ● May 30, 2020
“Do you thus repay my kindness by disgracing yourself?” she demanded.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
